BMW has confirmed that Brad Binder will join its factory ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for the 2027 season. The move takes the South African into a new championship and onto a new motorcycle after his long Grand Prix career: he has been in the paddock since 2012 and has ridden exclusively for KTM since 2015.

Binder will be paired with Miguel Oliveira, who is staying with BMW for 2027. The riders already have a shared history, having been garage-mates in Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP during their KTM years. They are also the only riders to have won a MotoGP race on a KTM.

The 2027 line-up means Danilo Petrucci’s BMW WorldSBK project will end after the 2026 season. BMW Motorrad Motorsport chief Sven Blusch said the company is looking at ways to keep the Italian involved in other projects, while thanking him for his commitment. BMW also wants to finish the current season strongly.

A proven record, followed by a new learning curve

Binder arrives as the 2016 Moto3 World Champion and a two-time MotoGP winner. His victories came at Brno in 2020 and the Red Bull Ring in 2021, with the Brno result marking KTM’s first premier-class win. He has also recorded nine MotoGP podiums and Sprint victories in Argentina and Jerez in 2023. That season brought his best championship finish, fourth overall. Binder has not stood on a Grand Prix podium since the start of 2024; his most recent was a second place in Qatar. He is 13th in the standings heading into Misano.

Blusch described a WorldSBK title challenge as Binder’s objective, while stressing that the rider must first become accustomed to the BMW M 1000 RR and to a new championship. BMW is therefore combining a clear competitive ambition with the practical demands of Binder’s adaptation to WorldSBK.